Discouraging car use through smart land use planning

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1 Discouraging car use through smart land use planning Examples from Europe Dominik Schmid GIZ Transport Policy Advisory Services Regional EGM on Policy Options for Sustainable Transport Development, Nov 2013, Incheon, Republic of Korea

2 Content Current trends in motorization Car ownership and use: A changing perception? Approach: Discouraging car use through urban & transport planning measures Example: Car free zones in CBDs Example: Car-reduced/free housing areas Conclusion & discussion

3 Motorization: Emerging economies catching up, but still at comparatively low levels Source: The World Bank (2013): The Worldbank Data - Motor vehicles (per 1,000 people)

4 High income does not necessarily mean high modal share of MIT Source: IEA, Energy Technology Perspectives, Paris 2008

5 Cars remain a status symbol in many industrialized and emerging economies alike

but the perception among youths in Europe is changing: For about 25 percent of young Germans (18 to 25 years old) an own car is not important or less important (CoA study 2011, cited in http://www.

6 but the perception among youths in Europe is changing: For about 25 percent of young Germans (18 to 25 years old) an own car is not important or less important (CoA study 2011, cited in Daily car use is becoming less frequent Representative figures are not easily available, but it seems that other things are replacing the car as status symbol (smartphones etc.)

7 and even in the U.S. cars are becoming less attractive: From 2001 to 2009, the average annual number of vehicle miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita a drop of 23 percent In 2009, 16 to 34-year-olds as a whole took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001, despite the age group actually shrinking in size by 2 percent It s not the poor who rely increasingly on PT and NMT: From 2001 to 2009, young people who lived in households with annual incomes of over $70,000 increased their use of public transit by 100 percent, biking by 122 percent, and walking by 37 percent Reasons include: higher gas prices, new licensing laws, improvements in technology that support alternative transportation, and changes in values and preferences Taken from: USPIRG (2012) Transportation and the New Generation

Conclusion of USPIRG (2012) Transportation and the New Generation Photo Credit: Regional Transit System (RTS) for the City of Gainesville, Florida; taken from USPIRG 2012 Policy-makers and the public

8 Conclusion of USPIRG (2012) Transportation and the New Generation Photo Credit: Regional Transit System (RTS) for the City of Gainesville, Florida; taken from USPIRG 2012 Policy-makers and the public need to be aware that America s current transportation policy dominated by road building is fundamentally out-of-step with the transportation patterns and expressed preferences of growing numbers of Americans Could that also be true in many emerging economies?

Livability becomes ever more important for as location factor Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2011 Top 10 (worldwide) Vienna, Austria (1st) Zurich, Switzerland (2nd) Auckland, New Zealand (3rd )

9 Livability becomes ever more important for as location factor Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2011 Top 10 (worldwide) Vienna, Austria (1st) Zurich, Switzerland (2nd) Auckland, New Zealand (3rd ) Munich, Germany (4th) Düsseldorf, Germany (5th) Vancouver, Canada (tied 5th) Frankfurt, Germany (7th) Geneva, Switzerland (8th) Bern, Switzerland (9th) Copenhagen, Denmark (tied 9th) Source: Mercer, 2011 Source: VBZ Zurich, 2009, Vienna Zurich Munich walkable compact. good public transport

10 Discouraging car use through urban & transport planning measures Part I: Car free zones in CBDs Part II: Car-reduced/free housing areas

The business district in an automobile oriented approach Only commercial / business land use, far from residential areas Connected to other parts of the city by

11 The business district in an automobile oriented approach Only commercial / business land use, far from residential areas Connected to other parts of the city by broad roads No good public transport and NMT networks planned Houston, TX, USA Source:

12 Introducing car free shopping & business areas Strøget before 1962 Example Copenhagen Strøget today: 250,000 people per day in summertime, 120,000 in wintertime Source of figures:

Introducing car free shopping & business areas Often resistance especially from shop owners, who overestimate the modal share of cars After implementation, the vast majority of businesses actually

13 Introducing car free shopping & business areas Often resistance especially from shop owners, who overestimate the modal share of cars After implementation, the vast majority of businesses actually reports no income losses Growing evidence of the positive effects of pedestrianization: Auckland (NZ), Takapuna shopping district: Pedestrian shoppers spent about 80$ more per trip London (UK), Wanstead High Street: Average increase of pedestrian numbers of 98 percent Increased retail property prices are also common Taken from: Living Streets 2013 The pedestrian pound: the business case for better streets and places

14 Hong Kong Image source: Wikipedia New York

A residential suburb in an automobile oriented approach Low rise, low density; urban sprawl Distant suburb located far away from the business district Completely residential,

15 A residential suburb in an automobile oriented approach Low rise, low density; urban sprawl Distant suburb located far away from the business district Completely residential, with no mixed land use Uniform housing typology, similar income category Colorado Springs, Colarado, USA Source:

16 An alternative approach: Car-reduced housing zones

17 The French District Sustainable Urban Neighborhood in Tubingen, Germany

The idea behind a special urban development project Urban brownfield development project: 60 hectare military wasteland situated about 3 km south of Tubingen s city centre Left

18 The idea behind a special urban development project Urban brownfield development project: 60 hectare military wasteland situated about 3 km south of Tubingen s city centre Left by the French troops in 1991/92 new living space for 6,000 inhabitants and 2,500 jobs should be created. low energy housing and an innovative transport concept Source: WfE 2005 [4]

Rationale: Ecological and economic benefits [5] [6] [7] [8] Saving space Tubingen s French District is designed densely with 150 200 inhabitants per hectare.

19 Rationale: Ecological and economic benefits [5] [6] [7] [8] Saving space Tubingen s French District is designed densely with inhabitants per hectare. Dense urban structures help to save infrastructure costs as well as the ecological disadvantages resulting from impervious surfaces, such as a higher risk of flooding. Reducing Traffic Mixed urban functions demand less trips to work, shopping, and leisure activities. Due to the compact city concept trip distances are shorter, too. This saves traffic volumes, energy, local emissions, traveling time, and contributes to safer transport. Saving Energy In Tubingen, energy is not only saved by lower traffic volumes and more sustainable means of transportation, but also by energy efficient forms of housing. Most buildings in the French District are low or zero emission houses. Promoting local economy In the neighbourhood 2,500 jobs were created, most of them in the sector of qualified services (50% services, 20% industry, 20% cultural institutions, 10% retailers). Profiting from a higher value by selling fully developed parcels, enabled the city of Tubingen to support cultural institutions in the district. Source: Stadtsanierungsamt 2009

20 Architecture: Dense and green Common as green as possible for socializing, relaxing, improving urban cooling Use of solar technology is very common, most houses in the French District are zero energy buildings

Motorized private transport infrastructure supply All living streets are at least traffic calmed, some are closed for motorized transport Car traffic

21 Motorized private transport infrastructure supply All living streets are at least traffic calmed, some are closed for motorized transport Car traffic generation is low due to low car ownership in the quarter, almost no through going traffic. Car sharing is available [16] Source: Ahrens 2009, Walter 2011

22 Due to low volumes car traffic volumes, cycling is convenient and safe For parking and locking a bicycle, numerous bike stands are at service. Compactness makes walking trips short and efficient. Many small shortcuts make it even quicker. Non motorized transport

23 Public transport Served by three urban bus lines (Frequency 10 minutes during the day, 30 minutes at night) Connect to a variety of regional trains at Tubingen s central railway station after a 20 minutes ride The city centre and the university district can be reached within 25 minutes

Modal share over all trips* [in %] Germany (cities) Tubingen French District *Origin and destination to/from elsewhere beyond Tubingen, plus internal traffic Source:

24 Modal share over all trips* [in %] Germany (cities) Tubingen French District *Origin and destination to/from elsewhere beyond Tubingen, plus internal traffic Source: Ahrens 2009, Walter 2011 Low level of car ownership (220 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the French District, compared to 493 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in total Tubingen)

25 Quartier Vauban Sustainable District in Tubingen, Germany Distance from Freiburg s city centre: 3 km Photo: Meila, 2006 Population: 5,000 Total area: 41 ha Density: 122 persons / ha Housing units: 2,000 Jobs on-site: 600 Construction start: 1998

26 Key elements of transport concept Car accessibility to residential streets only for picking up and dropping Traffic calming measures (e.g. 30 km/h limit) Availability of carsharing Traffic calmed area + no parking Traffic calmed area

27 One central parking garage at the edge of the settlement

28 Car-owning and car-free households use the bicycle for 61% and 91% of their trips, respectively In 2002, 34% of the commuter trips were done by bike Bicycle parking facilities are widely available

29 Accessibility is improved through design measures and a network of dedicated streets (e.g. boulevard for pedestrians and cyclists) Direct access to all areas is only possible by non-motorised modes Car free streets at Quartier Vauban

30 Public transport connects Vauban with Freiburg s city centre

Results Quartier Vauban s modal share for all trips: Bicycle/walking: 64 % Public transport: 19 % Car: xxxxx16 % In 2002, 40% of the households in Quartier Vauban did not own a car 81% of the members

31 Results Quartier Vauban s modal share for all trips: Bicycle/walking: 64 % Public transport: 19 % Car: xxxxx16 % In 2002, 40% of the households in Quartier Vauban did not own a car 81% of the members of car-free households previously owned a car More than half of car-free households were persuaded to move to Quartier Vauban and sell their own car because of: the unique combination of carrots and sticks offered by the district Sources: Green City Freiburg, 2011 ; ITDP, 2011

32 Policy implications Emerging economies with still comparatively low motorization levels should be a fertile ground for trialling car-free development schemes Possible target groups: Young families, students, even those who want to own a car but don t use it on a daily basis Dynamic urban development in the Asia-Pacific region: Of the many new city quarters being developed, those accessible by public transport could be chosen for a trial A good public transport offer, mixed land use and innovative mobility services such as e.g. carsharing are key for attractivity and feasibility

33 GIZ Sustainable Urban Transport Project

Transport Demand Management

CITIES ON THE MOVE WORLD BANK URBAN TRANSPORT STRATEGY REVIEW Regional Consultation Workshop ECA and MENA Budapest, February 28 - March 1, 2001 Transport Demand Management Selected Experiences from Germany